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I like Mikado-kun. It's de rigeur to have a "normal" character in a madcap cast like this, but Mikado is more likeable and interesting than most. While tempermentally quiet and cautious, he had the courage to take control of his life by leaving the safety of his parents and small town for the lights of Ikebukuro. He took on the challenge of being the Taichou against his instincts, and even fights his shyness to pursue Anri in his awkward, shy way.

I'm continuing from what Sol Falling and I were discussing in the episode 8 thread....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sol Falling

Spending so much time and effort to achieve something so completely minor is just the nice kind of bloke Mikado is? In that case then, the best way to communicate that to Anri and show the he isn't paying an unwelcome amount of interest to her is to spend his time going that far for other people, instead of her. Then she might actually think 'what a nice guy' and accept his kindness as she'll think 'that's just the way he is'.

Why would he do that? If it comes naturally to him then he probably won't think other people will see it in other ways.

Quote:

The 'pretending' thing, while certain elements of those incidents might have been what Mikado really wanted, it is pretty clear in both instances that his main motivation is an interest in Anri. For the class representative thing, for example, Mikado only determines to actually do it after thinking 'I don't want anyone else to have the position'. Mikado's subsequent attempt to talk to her, furthermore, was clearly not because he was actually interested in the class representative work. Similarly for the bullies thing, it would have been totally natural for anybody to not want someone to get bullied right in front of their eyes, so we can assume some genuine altruism from Mikado. However, that was diluted by the only explicit motivation the show giving us being those fantasies about Anri gushing in thanks to him. It's his interest in Anri that comes across most clearly.

I don't think you can say it's clear Anri was his main motivation. He determined to actually do it before Anri put her hand up, if I recall. That black guys narration was talking about changing yourself just before that. The talk afterwards, I don't recall Mikado saying he wasn't interested in the position, nor usggest it. Just that he had never done anything like it before. And Anri gushing thanks to him? He only imagined her saying "He's so cool". I think gushing is a bit of an exageration. That could've just been an example of someone thinking how much he's changed. I think Anri is a motivation too, but he's also trying to change as well and as long as that's the case, he's not pretending. He's trying to become stronger.

Quote:

I'm also including under this 'pretending' and 'not being genuine' category such petty tricks as ditching Kida during that bullying incident and, in this episode, hypocritically telling Kida to stop looking for the shoes while he continues to such an extent as to deliever them by nightfall. This sort of stuff is just cheap credit-grabbing behaviour so that he can look better in her eyes, not actions that have any inherent merit in them. By trying to minimize the 'competition' Mikado isn't showing Anri his real self either..

Ditching Kida was something but he saw how distressed Anri was and did something about it. That's not credit grabbing. He was actually trying to help her out. But since he was also motivated by his feelings for her, he forgot about Kida. That's all. Telling Kida not to look for the shoes? He could've just thought that Kida needn't bother if he didn't want to. That's not hypocritical. That's just being considerate. It's not like he forced Kida to stop. He just said forget about it. It's just that Mikado didn't feel like stopping. In end he gave up to, but noticed Anri's shoes outside, after he gave up.

I do agree im starting too enjoy the main character alot now he is changing or adapting too the environment of amazing people, because he is becoming one it seems. So glad that this series is 24 episode long. I could not have bared having it end with 12 or 13.

Well when i first watched this series I was not all that fond of the character, why? well perhaps he was too normal, Im not saying normal is good, but when you are comparing him too alot of people in a city that are doing amazing things are super strong, can jump very high, very very intelligent etc etc. It just makes you feel small. But few episodes into the series I notes a few similarity too my personality more like few characters who share my... well trait of mind.

Location: In a land where Shota's and Bishounens live in a vast land full of suger filled meadows.

Age: 21

I have to agree with like most of you, at first I never really thought of him much but then after episode 5 and 10 he kind of surprised me alittle and now I don't really see him as a plan guy, and see him rather smart character.

Mikado is no Light. For one, he didn't need a 2000 IQ or whatever Light supposedly had to do what he did - just the will to be exceptional. I think that's rather the point - rather than some freak of nature Mikado is an ordinary boy, but he made a conscious decision to do something extraordinary with his life.

Mikado is no Light. For one, he didn't need a 2000 IQ or whatever Light supposedly had to do what he did - just the will to be exceptional. I think that's rather the point - rather than some freak of nature Mikado is an ordinary boy, but he made a conscious decision to do something extraordinary with his life.

Well yeah I wasn't seriously comparing them. Personally I think what Mikado did in this episode was better written than anything Light did in Death Note. In Death Note it was basically like this character is so clever because the author says so. In Durarara, Mikado was shown to be clever by his actions. And also Light is an insane megalomaniac which Mikado definitely is not.

And Mikado is definitely no longer just an ordinary boy. I think a lot of people want to do extraordinary things with their life but rarely actually do them. As they say talk is cheap.

Well yeah I wasn't seriously comparing them. Personally I think what Mikado did in this episode was better written than anything Light did in Death Note. In Death Note it was basically like this character is so clever because the author says so. In Durarara, Mikado was shown to be clever by his actions. And also Light is an insane megalomaniac which Mikado definitely is not.

And Mikado is definitely no longer just an ordinary boy. I think a lot of people want to do extraordinary things with their life but rarely actually do them. As they say talk is cheap.

Well, good point. I think I would have been better off saying he was an ordinary boy.

And I stand by my contention that it's much more accurate to call Mikado the "founder" of Dollars - not the "leader". Viewed in that context, what could have been a credulity-testing plot twist was brought off quite believably in 10-11.

Mikado is the closest thing that the group has to a leader, being the founder/admin of the site. If some random guy posted on the site asking for everyone to meet at X, I doubt they would go. Members are more likely to go if it's the admin posting.
Still, the group has no rules, which causes a lot of problems later on.